Grant Holmes strikes out 10, but Braves shut out in loss to Nationals

Braves right-hander Grant Holmes was slicing through the Nationals’ lineup Saturday, striking out five of the seven he faced.

But as he collected his fifth strikeout, the skies unleashed upon Truist Park. The drenching forced a 41-minute delay before the teams resumed to begin the third inning.

Holmes overcame an early hiccup upon return, escaping a bases-loaded, no-outs jam. But unfortunately for him and his team, the Braves’ offense never matched the rambunctious thunder that echoed throughout the area briefly before the delay.

The Braves lost 2-0, a dud after their captivating extra-innings thriller the night before. They had just one hit. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak and marked the team’s fourth loss over the last 14 games.

“Strange game,” manager Walt Weiss said. “We just couldn’t get anything going offensively, one hit. Just a tough day for the offense.”

Holmes recorded his third career double-digit strikeout game, fanning 10 over five innings. He achieved such with his velocity down a tick, a result of simply lacking energy, he said. His slider was crisp, however, and produced six of the strikeouts.

He surrendered two runs over five frames, and likely could have gone deeper in the game if not for Mother Nature’s disruption. Both runs came via solo homers. Dylan Crews punished a hanging slider, while Jorbit Vivas scooped a low fastball and put it into the Chop House area.

“I wish I could have one of those homers back; I made a pretty good pitch on the second one,” Holmes said. “It was nice seeing some strikeouts start showing up. ... It’s nice to build off what I did (in my last start) and not letting that third inning blow up. It could’ve gotten out of hand quick.”

Holmes has surrendered two earned runs over 11 innings across his last two starts. He’s struck out 14 and walked three in that time. There might come a point Holmes shifts into a relief role, but he’s been extremely valuable for a rotation that needs him.

Oddly, though, his most prolific outings haven’t been rewarded. A bizarre stat courtesy of the Braves’ public relations department: The team is 0-8 when Holmes has struck out eight or more.

The Braves squandered their only scoring chances in the seventh. They had two base runners with no outs against Nationals reliever Brad Lord, but couldn’t muster offense: Second baseman Ozzie Albies popped out in the infield, slugger Dominic Smith flew out to left field, then third baseman Austin Riley struck out swinging with runners stranded at the corners.

Outfielder Michael Harris II recorded the only hit with a single in the seventh. He extended his hitting streak to five games.